Circular loom shuttle



E. KINSELLA ET AL Oct. 10, 1939.

C IRCULAR LOOM SHUTTLE Filed July 28, 1938 Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIRCULAR LOOM SHUTTLE tion of Delaware Application July 28, 1938, Serial No. 221,662 In Great Britain August 5, 1937 9 Claims.

This invention relates to circular looms, being particularly concerned with circular loom shuttles of the type in which the shuttle extends to the fell of the fabric to provide there an edge by which the weft is beaten into the fabric.

According to the invention, the beat-up member is a disc of substantial diameter rotatably mounted on the shuttle body so as to roll along the fell by reason of the relative circular motion between the shuttle and the warps. By reason of this rotary mounting the frictional resistance to the passage of the shuttle exerted by the rapidly converging warps at a point where the substantial beat-up pressure is applied, is largely ref placed by rolling friction, with the result that the power required to carry the weft through the warps is much reduced. Moreover, the disc has little dragging action on the warps and has, therefore, little tendency to displace the warps, an

' advantage that is of general importance, but especially when crpe or other rough weft is used, since such wefts oppose the resumption of the normal disposition of the warps after any displacement has taken place.

The invention is of particular advantage as applied to the type of shuttle in which the shuttles are supported in the loom and positioned in the shed by means of rotatable vane wheels penetrating one warp sheet to engage rotatable flanged rollers carried by the shuttle body and by means of a roller in the shuttle body pressing through the other warp sheet on a resiliently covered race.

The beat-up disc may conveniently have a diameter such that the disc occupies substantially the whole of the distance between the support for the shuttle body in the loom and the fell of the fabric, so as to provide for a comparatively long eective beat-up edge at the fell and also easy rolling of the edge along the fell. At the same time a bearing of substantial diameter may be provided for the disc so as to enable the disc to be readily positioned in the shuttle. The bearing for the disc is arranged so as not to form crevices into which warp threads might enter.

According to another feature of the invention, the beat-up disc is mounted so that its beat-up edge is movable towards and away from the shuttle body, and spring means urge said edge away from said body, said spring means being of such a strength as to produce at the beat-up edge the beat-up pressure required of that edge within the limit of its resiliency. With such spring means between the beat-up edge and the shuttle body, the resistance to beat-up of the rst few picks inserted by the shuttle rapidly causes the spring means to develop such a degree of stiffness that the desired pick-density is soon attained. If in all shuttles in a loom the spring mountings of the several discs have the same rating, any tendency to the exertion of different beatup pressures due to slight variations in the positicning of the shuttles with respect to the resiliently covered race is over-ridden by the ability of the beat-up edges to give slightly without substantial variation in the beat-up pressure. In other words, instead of the beat-up pressure being an indeterminate quantity it becomes a quantity that may be fixed with substantial accuracy. All the wefts are then beaten up into the fabric with substantially the same pressure, with the result that the wefts are substantially uniformly spaced in the fabric. Substantial advantage is obtained as regards the uniformity of the appearance of the fabric, and especially of fabrics with wefts of continuous natural or artificial laments.

Conveniently the beat-up disc is carried by a member pivoted to the shuttle body and urged at a position remote from the pivot away from the shuttle body by means of a compression spring. For example, stiff helical wire springs or conical springs made from flat strip may be used. The pivot point of the member and the point of application of the spring or springs are such that the operative part of the edge of the disc at the fell of the fabric moves substantially normally to the fell.

Means are preferably provided to give a ready indication of the degree of loading of the spring means. Thus a gap between a member on the shuttle body and the member carrying the disc may close by the amount the spring means has moved from its unloaded condition. Identical gaps at all shuttles indicate that all shuttles are working with the same beat-up pressure. Stops are preferably arranged to limit the movement of the edge beyond the normal working amount.

The edge of the disc may be slightly eccentric, e. g., to the extent ofY 5/1000 or lil/1004) of an inch or so, or may be formed with a. slightly undulating profile used inra multi-shuttle loom, one or more of such discs provide slight variations of the beat-up pressure, especially when the` discs have xed axes of rotation in their shuttle bodies. In fine fabrics, especially fabrics with smooth yarns, e. g, of continuous natural or artificial filaments, a random displacement of the wefts extending substantially uniformly over the fabric results.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a shuttle showing the beat-up disc resiliently mounted;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation in part-section of the shuttle shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 shows in part-section to an enlarged scale a detail of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the shuttle shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 illustrates the positioning of a plurality of shuttles with respect to the fell of the fabric.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, the shuttle comprises a body casting I provided with horizontal bearings 2 for two sets of flanged rollers 3 adapted to be engaged by rotatable vane wheels 4 mounted on a shaft 5. On the side of the shuttle remote from the one engaged by the vane wheels 4 is provided a freely rotatable roller 6 mounted on a slightly inclined axis so as to bear against the inclined rubber face 'i of a stationary annular race 8. By reason of the engagement of the Vane wheels with the flanged rollers 3 at four points on one side of the shuttle and of the engagement of the roller 6 with the race 8 at a substantially central point on the other side of the shuttle, the body casting I is supported substantially rigidly in a vertical position at a denite height above the fell of the fabric, i. e., above the upper edge of the ring (Fig. 2) which supports the fabric being Woven. The shuttle is carried round the loom by the propulsion of the vane wheels 4 which, with their shafts 5, are propelled round the loorn by means with which the present invention is not concerned. Above the casting I a back plate 9 is secured to carry a weft package IU from which the weft thread II is carried to the base of the shuttle. At the forward end of the shuttle warp feeler mechanism I2 is disposed to operate a stop mechanism through a sliding rod I3 when the shuttle encounters some obstruction in the shed.

The beat-up edge is formed by a freely rotatable disc 65 carried on a pivot 66 on a lever 61 pivoted at 68 to a downward extension of the casting I, the downward movement of the lever 61 being restricted by hooks I6, II on the members 6'! and I respectively. The lever 61 is provided at the rear end of its bottom edge with o a guide eye I8 through which the weft Il passes from the shuttle to the fell. Forwardly of the guide I 8 the lowest point 'I0 of the disc 65 forms a beat-up edge which enables the shuttle to beat up the weft laid by a preceding shuttle. A second guide eye 20 provided forwardly of the edge may be used instead of the rear guide eye I8 and enables the shuttle to beat up its own weft as well as that laid by the preceding shuttle.

By reason of the rotatable form of the disc 65, the disc turns on its pivot 66 as the shuttle progresses round the loom so that beat-up is effected by a rolling pressure. Moreover, in view of the fact that at the lower edge 'I0 of the disc 65 the Warps are converging sharply on the fell and applying substantial pressure to the beat-up edge, the ability of the disc 65 to roll instead of to slide along the fell, enables the shuttle to be propelled round the loom with much less pressure; and in a loom in which the number of shuttles may amount to 20 or more the reduction in the propelling pressure required for each shuttle amounts in the aggregate to the saving of much operating power, as well as reducing the load between the rapidly rotating vane wheels 4 and their engaging flanged rollers 3.

A further advantage in the shuttle shown in the drawing arises from the resilient mounting of the disc 65 with respect to the shuttle body I. To provide this resilient mounting, the lever 67 is urged downwardly with respect to the casting I by means of a helical wire spring 69 carried inside a sleeve 23 screwed into an extension 24 of the casting I. With the shuttle supported in the loom and its beateup edge 76 bearing on the fell of the fab-ric, the spring 69 is compressed until a balance is reached at the edge 'I9 between the pressure exerted there by the spring and the pressure necessary to beat up weft to its propel' position in the fabric, the ultimate downward pressure of the beat-up edge being provided by the downward thrusts of the vane wheels 4 on the lower flanged rollers 3.

When it is necessary that all the shuttles in the loom should exert the same beat-up pressure, so as to ensure that all the wefts are uniformly pressed into the fell of the fabric, the springs are adjusted as follows. The number of shuttles in a particular loom will depend on the diameter of the loom and the size of weft package to be accommodated; for example, the shuttles may number 10, 12, 16, 20, 24 or more. Three such shuttles designated 21, 28 and 26 are shown in Fig. 5, the circle (or cylinder) in which the weft is laid being, of course, flattened in this figure. The three shuttles apply beat-up pressure at right-angles to the plane of the circle round which the weft is laid. All the shuttles are provided with springs 69 having the same free length and carefully calibrated so as to have the same rating, i. e., they each have the same deflection when each is subjected to the same load. A short length of fabric is woven and a final positioning of the shuttles is then eifected by adjustment of the sleeve 23 in the extension 24 so that at each shuttle exactly the same gap 36 exists between the headed base 3| of the sleeve 23 and a gauging edge 32 of the extension 26. With the same gap existing at all the shuttles it follows that during weaving there is the same balance of pressure at the several beat-up edges I0 by the corresponding compressions of the springs 69, which condition can be observed by noting that all the gaps 30 are equal in extent, i. e. all have closed by an equal amount, the hooks I 6, I'I remaining clear of each other. Equal pressures are exerted by the springs so long as equal gaps 30 exist at all shuttles. This gap will, of course, be less, the greater the beat-up pressure required, as for example, in the weaving of heavier or denser fabrics.

As is shown in Fig. 5, the shuttle 27 beats up the weft 34 laid by the preceding Shuttle and its own weft 35 is beaten up by the shuttle 28. The weft 36 from the shuttle 28 is in turn beaten up by the shuttle 29, whose weft S'I is beaten up by the next shuttle, and so on. With the same gap 30 at each of the shuttles, the same spring pressure is being exerted downwardly on the wefts 34, 35 so that each weft is spaced the same distance from the preceding weft.

'Ihe rating of the spring 69 should be such that when the spring is compressed to give the required beat-up pressure the coils of the spring should still be spaced apart, i. e. there should be no danger of the spring becoming solid, as will be clear from the need for the spring to work within the limit of its resiliency. Other types of spring may be used, for example, conical springs made by coiling fiat strip.

It will be understood that the principle of preakiv determining the beat-up pressure exerted by any particular shuttle can be used otherwise than for the purpose of providing that every shuttle exerts the same pressure as every other shuttle. For example, one or more of the shuttles may be arranged to exert a beat-up pressure greater or less than that exerted by all the shuttles. Thus, a weft stripe eiect may be produced by arranging for predetermined shuttles to exert no beatup pressure at all.

Fig. 4 shows alternative methods of adjusting the height of the edge lil. The pivot 65 may carry an eccentric bearing 1I for the disc 65, or alternatively the pivot 68 may be eccentrically mounted in the body casting l. The disc 65 is shrouded by the casting I as indicated at 12, so as to close any crevice against the entry of warp threads. The pivots BB and 68 are likewise formed free from exposed crevices.

Having described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Circular loom shuttle adapted to apply to the weft a beat-up pressure substantially at right angles to the plane of the circle in which weft is laid, said shuttle comprising means for positioning the shuttle within the warp shed and adapted to receive at positions forwardly and rearwardly of the shuttle thrust to be transmitted through the shuttle to the fell as a beat-up pressure at a position between the lines of action of said thrusts, a beat-up member in the form of a disc of substantial diameter rotatably mounted and also mounted so that its beat-up edge is movable towards and away from the shuttle-positioning means, and spring means for urging said edge away from the shuttle-positioning means the strength of the spring means being such that a slight movement of the beat-up edge deforms the spring suiiiciently to enable the beat-up pressure to be transmitted through the spring within the limit of its resiliency.

2. Circular loom according to claim 1, comprising means to indicate the degree of loading of the spring means.

3. Circular loom according to claim 1, comprising means for limiting the movement of the beat-up edge away from the shuttle body.

4. Circular loom shuttle adapted to apply to the weft a beat-up pressure substantially at right angles to the plane of the circle in which weft is laid, said shuttle comprising means for positioning the shuttle within the warp shed and adapted to receive at positions forwardly and rearwardly of the shuttle 'thrusts to be transmitted through the shuttle to the fell as a beat-up pressure at a position between the lines of action of said thrusts, a beat-up member in the form of a disc of substantial diameter rotatably mounted, said beat-up disc being carried by a member pivoted to the shuttle body in such a way that the beat-up edge of the disc is movable towards and away from the shuttle-positioning means in a direction normal to the fell, and

spring means for urging said edge away from the shuttle-positioning means, the strength of the spring means being such that a slight movement of the beat-up edge deforms the spring sufciently to enable the beat-up pressure to be transmitted through the spring within the limit of its resiliency.

5. Circular loom shuttle adapted to apply to to the weft a beat-up pressure substantially at right angles to the plane of the circle in which weft is laid, said shuttle comprising means for positioning the shuttle within the warp shed and adapted to receive at positions forwardly and rearwardly of the'shuttle thrusts to be transmitted through the shuttle to the fell as a beatup pressure at a position between the lines of action of said thrusts, a beat-up member in the form of a disc of substantial diameter rotatably mounted, said beat-up disc being carried by a member pivoted to the shuttle body in such a way that the beat-up edge of the disc is movable towards and away from the shuttle-positioning means in a direction normal to the fell, spring means for urging said disc away from the shuttle-positioning means, the strength of, the spring means being such that a slight movement of the beat-up edge deforms the spring sufl'lciently to enable the beat-up pressure to be transmitted through thespring within the limit of its resiliency, and means for limiting the movement of the beat-up edge 'away from the shuttle body.

6. Circular loom shuttle adapted to apply tothe weft a beat-up pressure substantially at right angles to the plane of the circle in which weft is laid, said shuttle comprising means for positioning the shuttle within the warp shed and adapted to receive at positions forwardly and rearwardly of the shuttle thrusts to be transmitted through the shuttle to the fell as a beatup pressure at a position between the lines of action of said thrusts, a beat-up member in the form of a disc of. substantial diameter rotatably mounted and] also mounted so that its beat-up edge is movable towards and away from the shuttle-positioning means, the edge of said disc being slightly eccentric, and spring means for urging said edge away from the shuttle-positioning means, the strength of the spring means being such that a slight movement of the beatup edge deforms the spring suiciently to enable the beat-up pressure to be transmitted through the spring within the limit of its resiliency.

7. Circular loom according to claim 4, wherein the edge of the disc is slightly eccentric.

8. Circular loom according to claim 1, wherein the edge of the disc has a slightly undulating prole.

9. Circular loom according to claim 4, wherein the edge of the disc has a slightly undulating prole.

EDWARD KINSELLA. FREDERICK SUTTON HARDY. 

